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| | Tuesday, November 2 | |||||||||||||||
COACH AND PROGRAM
JUAN "PEPE" SANCHEZ (6-4, 198 lbs., SR, PG, #4, 8.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.9 tpg, 3.0 spg, .346 FG, .261 3PT, .733 FT, E.E.M. No. 3/Bahia Blanca, Argentina) It was a typical mid-January contest for Sanchez and the Owls. Crosstown opponent St. Joseph's was visiting, and Sanchez would play his regular game. Forty minutes. Two-for-nine shooting. Ten assists. One turnover. And the Owls won easily, 62-47. In the early going, when it was still a contest, the Hawks tried to trap Sanchez who never appears especially quick or explosive in the backcourt. In fact, the play came right in front of the St. Joseph's bench. As usual, Sanchez read the double-team smartly. He stepped through two defenders, caught a third out of position and threw an outlet which led to a Lamont Barnes dunk. This from a team which doesn't ever fastbreak. Sanchez turned and smiled at the St. Joseph's bench. What he said was half-Spanish, half-English, but the message was clear. "The double-team won't work." It never does. And Sanchez, who plays the game in a slow motion known only to the most comfortable of floor generals, keeps rollin' along. Barring injury, he will leave the Owls' nest as a four-year starter at the point. Few have endured more from John Chaney or better embraced the Temple system. Because he is not from Philadelphia or is not named Blackwell, Evans or Macon, Sanchez may not be remembered as highly. But he is just as good. Different, maybe, but just as good. On few teams is the point guard more responsible for winning than at Temple. And Sanchez knows exactly what it takes to win the Chaney way. He can also do something which escaped his more acclaimed predecessors. He can take his coach to the Final Four. "I won't put expectations on any player, any team," said Chaney. But others do. "[Sanchez] has more impact on the game than any player in our league," St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli offered. "He can break you at either end of the floor." Last winter, despite a scoring average which has declined every year, the accolades finally caught up with the results. Sanchez was a first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection. He was named to the NCAA All-East Regional team. And he was Player of the Year in the Philadelphia Big 5 (La Salle, Pennsylvania, St. Joseph's, Temple, Villanova), posting the lowest scoring average in the history of that award. Sanchez, it should be said, could already be All-Argentina as a professional player in his homeland. Instead, he is back to complete a career and a degree which has landed him on the A-10 All-Academic team. The pro career can wait. A Final Four star would be a king in Bahia Blanca. LAMONT BARNES (6-10, 230 lbs,. SR, PF, #32, 12.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 0.7 apg, 1.9 tpg, 1.5 spg, 1.2 bpg, 33.7 minutes, .547 FG, .630 FT, University Heights Academy/Hopkinsville, Ky.) The 1998-99 season began like the breakout year everyone expected. Already a first-team All-Atlantic 10 performer, Barnes dominated the Ikon Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (Georgetown, Wake Forest) on the way to tourney MVP honors. Yet Barnes gradually assumed almost a complimentary role playing alongside a true center (Kevin Lyde) for the first time, and he even gave ground to small forward Mark Karcher around the basket. None of which hurt the team, except that it became difficult for Barnes to re-assert himself offensively. The stats weren't noticeably different (12.9 ppg as a junior, 13.8 ppg as a soph), but Barnes' game seemed slightly altered. Maybe it was the move to power forward supposedly a good thing which disrupted his rhythm. Barnes faced the basket more, wasn't in good rebounding position as often and blocked considerably fewer (43, down from 74) shots. He also slipped to second-team All-Conference. Suggested Chaney: "He needs to be a little more fluid with his game and a lot more flexible with his range. 'What kind of shot should I shoot? When should I be shooting the outside shot? When should I be driving to the basket? How am I going to do that?'" Barnes wouldn't be the first Chaney player to regress when confronted with a mid-career position switch. On the other hand, he has the athletic ability and basketball instincts to once again be an all-league pick. His basketball earning power and perhaps the Owls' postseason fortunes are riding on it. MARK KARCHER (6-5, 220 lbs., JR, SF, #25, 13.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 tpg, 1.5 spg, 29.8 minutes, .367 FG, .294 3PT, .649 FT, St. Frances Academy/Baltimore, Md.) Karcher gets all the credit in the world. Not only did he face the dreaded "no play, no practice year," but he also had to re-work almost his entire game to conform with Chaney's style. How many high school All-America wing guys become effective back-to-the-basket college scorers? Especially at 6-5? Nothing wrong with Karcher's math skills, that's for sure. Shooting under 30 percent from distance, Karcher instead began powering the ball to the basket. He shot 45 percent from two-point range and turned a slow start into a year in which he led an Elite Eight team in scoring. It is hardly a stretch to think Karcher's best days are still ahead, no matter what offensive style he adopts. With the rust gone, he could re-establish the explosive perimeter skills which made him such a feared high school player. "Mark has to improve his ability to handle the basketball and his ability to play 20 feet and in," said Chaney. "I want him to be more of a 'three' and a 'two,' to handle the ball in pressure situations and to dribble in traffic." We think Karcher will be up to the task. And the extra space in the lane might also benefit Barnes. KEVIN LYDE (6-9, 240 lbs., SO, C, #42, 7.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.9 tpg, 0.7 spg, 1.6 bpg, 24.4 minutes, .483 FG, .505 FT, Oak Hill Academy, Va./Washington, D.C.) Chaney has had worse centers, no question. Lyde has the size and skills to someday earn a whole lot of money in this game. Lyde was hampered nearly all season by a nerve injury in his left forearm. His relatively low minutes per game average was more a result of the injury than the expected freshman foul trouble. He was not disqualified a single time in 34 starts, but would often retreat to the bench after hard contact on the bad arm. The injury is supposedly gone and, with it, the frustration of sporadic play. Somewhere in Lyde is the confident young man who knifed through Stanford's Tim Young and Mark Madsen for 13 points, including four dunks, and 10 rebounds. A 48.3 field-goal percentage is unacceptable so close to the basket (and a .505 FT mark isn't much better). "I'm hoping he will develop the ability to play around the basket with more effectiveness," said Chaney. "He has to shoot the ball better and make better decisions, but do so in a slow and deliberate manner to control the post." LYNN GREER (6-1, 165 lbs., JR, SG, #14, 10.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 tpg, 1.7 spg, 20.7 minutes, .380 FG, .357 3PT, .765 FT, Engineering and Science HS/Philadelphia, Pa.) The Owls may lose a little bit defensively with a shorter, lighter off guard. So what. Greer is a career .448 shooter from three-point land with the quickness and range to punish a lethargic defense. You think Temple is intimidating in the low post now? Imagine how effective Barnes & Co. become if Greer and Karcher start connecting in tandem (we know better than to think Pepe Sanchez can shoot, except at crunch time). The left-handed Greer appeared in only six games last year before a stray elbow at Penn State ended his season. Greer sustained a broken left orbital bone in his eye socket, but was fortunate in that he did not lose a year of eligibility. He still has two years remaining with the Owls, and figures to whether he likes it or not inherit the point guard job after Sanchez graduates. In the meantime, there are zones to bust and screens to hide behind. Greer will be a very valuable player in the 1999-2000 season, the perfect new component on a borderline great team. "As an outside threat," Chaney said, "he was sorely missed."KEY RESERVES QUINCY WADLEY (6-4, 195 lbs., SR, G, #33, 9.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.3 tpg, 1.2 spg, 26.8 minutes, .377 FG, .361 3PT, .712 FT, Harrisburg HS/Harrisburg, Pa.) Let's not forget that Temple played the entire Atlantic 10 Tournament without Wadley, who was nursing a broken hand. Even so, it took a miracle three-pointer from a very rich fellow erstwhile Rhode Island Ram Lamar Odom to deny the Owls in the championship game. Five days later, Odom and the Rams had been dispatched from the NCAA Tournament. The Owls, meanwhile, played on and on. Wadley gutted out 84 minutes in four NCAA games. He was the star of a second-round victory over long-time Temple nemesis Cincinnati, scoring 14 points with the help of four three-pointers. Though known more as the defensive specialist on a team full of them, Wadley is a better-than-average shooter (especially from three-point range, where his .361 mark last year makes him the Reggie Miller of North Broad Street). Wadley can also score in traffic and take care of business at crunch time, boasting a career .758 free-throw percentage. In short, he is a starter who just happens to come off the bench. "He showed a lot of courage playing with that injury," said Chaney. "He is one of our truly talented players." Wadley is perhaps the only player in the Chaney Era to come off the bench with a game as good as, if not better, than a couple of the starters. Who says you can't teach an old dog a new trick? Then again, it's quite possible Wadley will start with Lynn Greer coming off the bench. In either scenario, everyone's minutes would be about the same. KEATON SANDERS (6-6, 225 lbs., SR, F, #15, 1.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 9.6 minutes, .397 FG, .200 3PT, .364 FT, Peach County HS/Fort Valley, Ga.) Sanders is a serviceable extra body, plain and simple. That willingness has resulted in meaningful minutes 85 times in three seasons. Mostly, Sanders leans on taller, thinner guys when Barnes and/or Lyde and/or Karcher and/or Wadley are otherwise resting or unavailable. He could rebound better, but will never be expected to score. "Keaton needs to play better defense," said Chaney, who says the same thing about every player he cannot otherwise distinguish. RONALD ROLLERSON (6-10, 290 lbs., SO, C, #30, 1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 6.8 minutes, .561 FG, .565 FT, Faith Christian Academy/Pennsauken, N.J.) Rollerson saw more time than expected given the arm injury to Kevin Lyde. He is every bit the 290 pounds listed above, and probably more. Rollerson can also finish around the basket, an unanticipated bonus for someone who did not play a particularly high level of prep basketball. The next step in his development must be the footwork to compete with quicker players in and around the lane. "He can shoot. I don't question that," said Chaney. "But we play very few players his size. He has to be flexible enough to play against smaller centers, and I question him on the defensive end." ALEX WESBY (6-6, 190 lbs., SO, F, #23, 19.3 ppg, 13.0 rpg in 1997-98, Ben Franklin HS/Philadelphia, Pa.) It's hard to figure Wesby's role this season. Over the years, Chaney has been more inclined to hand a starting job to a first-year player than to use one as a meaningful reserve. In Chaney's perfect world, Temple would win every game, 50-40, committing neither a foul nor a turnover, and no starter would ever leave the floor. Then again, Chaney has rarely had an athlete such as Wesby on his bench. And Wesby has the advantage of at least practicing with the Owls last season. "I like his rebounding," Chaney said. "Alex is a tremendous rebounder. He can also shoot the ball from outside and handle the ball fairly well." If form holds at Temple, which it always does, Wesby will not be a great shooter in his first year (if ever). And he will not be a terrific rebounder, even for his position. The greatest disadvantage of the Temple zone is the poor rebounding position it often creates for the Owls' frontcourt. However, if Wesby is a willing defender, the rest will come. Not even Eddie Jones had a defined role as a redshirt sophomore.OTHER RETURNEES MAMADOU CELLOU BARRY (6-8, 234 lbs., SO, F, #34, 0.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg, six appearances, Sainte Marie HG/Conakry, Guinea) Barry is one of the first players from his country to play basketball in the United States. He saw action in six games last year, notching one basket each at Duquesne and at Virginia Tech. BARRY ATTENDED AN ELS (English Language) School in Philadelphia before matriculating at Temple. He has also played soccer and handball. Imagine a 6-8, 234-pounder on a handball court. Now that's a "hinder."OTHER NEWCOMERS ROULDRA THOMAS (6-7, 205 lbs., SO, F, #40, 0.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg in 1997-98 at North Carolina State, Natchez HS/Natchez, Miss.) Thomas appeared in just 12 games as a freshman at North Carolina State. He was once a USA Today honorable mention All-America out of Mississippi. Thomas does not have a role with his new team, although he might be an upgrade athletically from Keaton Sanders as the last forward in the rotation. Even so, Chaney is generally loyal to his seniors. Thomas likely faces another year of mostly watching. GREG JEFFERSON (6-5, 195 lbs., FR, F, #1, 16.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, Philadelphia Christian Academy/Los Angeles, Calif.) Jefferson has sported a few different uniforms in his prep career. He played varsity basketball as a high school freshman at St. John Bosco (Calif.) Prep, then starred at Fairfax (Calif.) High for the next two seasons, earning first-team All-Area honors both years from the Los Angeles Times. Next came a pair of prep schools. He split time last winter between Redemption Christian (N.Y.) Academy and Philadelphia Christian Academy. Along the way was an Asian tour in the summer of 1998. Most guys just take the subway to Temple Jefferson might be a contributor in time. And, with a veteran team, Chaney has plenty of it. IN LIMBO RONALD BLACKSHEAR (6-4, 190 lbs., G, 19.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, Mitchell-Baker HS/Camilla, Ga.) Blackshear was admitted to the university in early September, but then was declared ineligible when the school declared him a non-qualifier and rescinded his scholarship. A three-year varsity starter, Blackshear led Mitchell-Baker to the Georgia state championship as a senior. Individually, he was selected to the All-State team and was named the AA Player of the Year in Georgia. "We're very dissappointed," Chaney said when he learned of Blackshear's status. STARTERS NOT RETURNING RASHEED BROKENBOROUGH (6-4, SG, 11.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 tpg, 1.6 spg, 35.9 minutes, .382 FG, .325 3PT, .796 FT) Brokenborough finished a three-year career as the 22nd-best scorer in Temple's long history with 1,255 points. He lost an appeal to regain a fourth season of eligibility despite graduating with his class as a non-qualifier. It is a truly ridiculous regulation, but not one which will necessarily hurt the Owls on the court this season. One-time third guard Lynn Greer will more than replace Brokenborough's offense, and he'll likely need far fewer shots to do so. To be kind, let's just say outside shooting was never the strength of Brokenborough's game. Instead, he was a Chaney guard in the true sense of the word. He could handle the ball like a point, ration his turnovers to an absolute minimum and was in perfect defensive position virtually all of the time. He was also a winner. Brokenborough's teams were a combined 65-31 (.678), including four NCAA Tournament triumphs in three seasons.OTHERS NOT RETURNING DAMIEN REID (6-6, F, 0.0 ppg, three appearances) Reid made three appearances as a rare Temple walk-on. He did not score in five total minutes.QUESTIONS Outside shooting? Isn't this always a question at Temple? Ever since Mark Macon went 6-for-29 against Duke stopper Billy King in the 1988 East Regional final, the Owls have been one awful shooting day from elimination. Quickness? Lyde, Barnes & Co. cannot win a racehorse game. Maybe that's why Chaney never allows it to happen. Injuries? Greer and Wadley suffered broken bones a year ago. Lyde and even Sanchez missed time with other aches and pains. This season, Temple needs to hit March on all cylinders.ANSWERS Sanchez! He controls every game, both offensively and defensively. Every opponent tries to force Temple to pick up the pace. Sanchez simply will not allow it. Experience! The Owls first five has started 254 of a possible 292 games. It is a unit which has played all competition and in every locale, including a collective 20 starts in the NCAA Tournament. Chaney! The style sometimes overshadows the substance. Chaney is the sixth-winningest coach (.734) in Division I.
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